Wooden sole for boots and shoes and method of making same



G. E. WARREN. WOODEN SOLE FOR BOOTS AND SHOES AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME APPLICATION FILED on. 10. 1918.

1,355,436. E v Patented 0ct .12,1920.

s-a E 2 Fig. 5. 7

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. WARREN, or S'WAMPSCOTT, rriAssAcnUsErrs, 'ASSIGN-OR 'ro UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, or rArERson, NEW JERSEY, A oR1=oRATIoN on NEW JERSEY. V i

WOODEN SOLE FOR BOOTS AND SHOES AND METHOD OF MAKING Specification of letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 12, 1920.

Application filed October, 10, 1918. Serial No. 257,589. g

T 0 all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, GEORGE E. lVnnnEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Swampsoott, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in lVooden Soles for Boots andShoes and Methods of Making Same, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference charactors on the drawings indicating like parts in the severalfigures.

The present invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of shoes of the type in which the bottom or tread portion of the shoe is made of wood. The invention is herein shown by way of illustration in its application to a Wooden sole which may be utilized in place of a leather outsole to provide a bottom for ashoe.

According'to the present methods of making wooden soles for shoes a wooden block of the required size is cut away with suitable wood working tools until the block has been reduced to the final shape and contour desired for the sole. In shaping these soles so that they will provide the required spring for the forepart of the sole and for the shank portion toenable a heel to be attached to the shoe the annual rings or grain of the wood instead of extending continuously from the toe to the heel of the sole is severed crosswise where the sole is curved longitudinally. As a result of this soles are very apt to break and split when sub ected to the severe usage for which a shoe having a sole of this kind is intended and especially when a strain is exerted across the grain of the sole. Moreover, the present methods of producing wooden sole shoes involve the use of a grade of wood which is substantially free from knots and other defects and a considerable part of the wood is wasted in producing the soles.

It is an object of the present invention to improve the manufacture of wooden soles for shoes whereby they maybe made more economically than the prior methods permit and produce a stronger and more serviceable v tially flatsole-shaped blank of wood having its annual rings extending substantially con tinuously from end to end, then treating the blank to render it susceptible to a molding pressure, subjecting the blank to a molding pressure adapted to impart the desired con pleted sole is subjected when in use and also L to provide for a uniform Wear on the tread surface of the sole. Conveniently the block is rendered Inoldable by subjecting it to the action of moist heat after which it is placed between two metallic forming plates which have acting surfaces corresponding to the contour of the bottom of a last and the sole block and then subjected to pressure for a sufiicient length of time to set the block to the contour of'the plates. The molding of the sole blank, in addition to imparting to it the desired contour, acts to compress and condense the fibers of the wood whereby it is rendered more durable and wear resisting. 7

By this process of manufacture a considerable saving is effected in the amount of wood necessary to make a sole and grades of wood not adaptable to prior methods can be used to advantage. It will be further noted that 4 a sole produced in this manner-is more serviceable and less liable to break or split than the wooden soles heretofore produced by removing the wood to form the different curvatures of the sole since the annual rings of the wood extend continuously from toe to heel whereby the maximum strength of the wood is preserved.

The above and other. objects of the invention will be set forth in connection with the accompanying drawings and the invention will then be defined under the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly in longitudinal section, showing the sole'blank such as is used in theproduction of a wooden solesin'accordance'with the preferred practice of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation illustrating the stepof imparting the desired conformation to a sole blank Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a shoe showing the incorporation of the sole in the shoe,

portions of the shoe'being shown in section to illustrate one form ofattachment of the sole- Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the shank portion of the shoe illustrated in Fig. 3""an'd l "Fig. 5 is a transverse, section through the forepart' of the shoe illustrated in Fig. 3.

In the use ofa preferred embodiment of I the invention asole-shaped blank 2 of wood of suitahle thickness to constitute the outer sole of a shoe' is first selected. It is important that 'thefannual rings or laminae of-the wood'in'dicated at 4 extend substantially' continuously from the'opposite ends 7 of the blank and'also run substantially par- 'allell to the opposite sides of the blank in order that the maximum strength of 'the woodblank be preserved so as to withstand the subsequent molding. operation to which the blank is subjected-and provide the'great est wear for the finished sole.

In the preparation ofthis blank for it toconstitute a sole for a shoe it is necessary forth e blank to have a shape corresponding to the'longitudinal and transverse cur- .vatures' of the shoe bottom to which the s'olejis to be applied, including the spring ofthe sole at thetoe and the arched shank portion to provide support for the arch of the foot. Accordingly the blank is subjectedto thev application of moist heat or "ste'amto render the wood cornformable and tures. to the sole blank for itssubsequ'ent attachment to'the' shoe. Through the forepart portion A of the sole only a slight transverse curvature is necessary, as shown 'n Fig. while through the shank portion B a more pronounce l transverse curvature is desirable-in order for the sole to support the arched portion of the foot, as shown in Fig. 4. As herein illustrated, the sole is not provided with an integral heel member but has its heel seat portion C conformed to provide a suitable seat to receive a separate heel member of wood or other wear-resist ing' material and the longitudinal curvature of-the sole in the shank is consistent with the height of the heel to'be used. Any suitable compressing apparatus may be used for applying a direct pressure "to the'sole siderablefpressure can be 7 applied to 'the blank without liability, of breaking it either crosswise or longitudinally of the sole'a's would be the case were the gram to run at an angle to the general plane of the sole.

canbe more readily molded to the'desired shape without danger of breaking The sole is then caused permanently to ass'um'efthe shape imparted to it bythe molds 6,18 either by leaving it a suflicient length of time to' dry out and become set while under the pres sure of the molds or by applying artificial heat to the sole.

The illustrated sole is herein intended for use in place of a leather outsole in themanufacture of a metallic fastened shoe, for example a standard screwed'shoe such as illustrated in Fig. 3. A shoe of this type consists of an upper 12 the marginal portion of which is lastedover on to the upper surface of an insole lat of leather or other suitable materiaL Thelsole 2 is. then appliedto the shoe bottom and attached by headless screws 16, insertedlthrough the margins of the sole, shoe upper and insole. Subsequently a heel 18. is attached to the shoe in any well-known manner. In using the wooden sole of the invention the sole is applied to the shoe bottom in place of the leather sole and. attached to the shoe in substantially the same manner.

It will be noted that the wooden sole above described can be'made more economically and uniformly than the soles made by the prior methods of removing portions of the wood until reduced to the desired shape inasmuch as it is not necessary to use a comparatively larger piece of wood in the first instance than that of the finished product, thus avoiding a considerable waste in wood. Moreover, with prior methods. it was necessary to select a piece of wood having a uniform and close grain. In fact, a large number of soles unsuitable for use result from Moreoven'a sole blank of greater thickness 7 defects in the piece of wood selected which blank in which the grain of the wood extends continuously from end to end and parallel to the opposite sides the maximum strength of the wood is preserved so that the sole is not apt to split when subjected to strain crosswise of the grain as is very liable to happen with a cut out wooden sole. Also, because the fibers of the Wood are compacted by the pressure of the sole shaping operation a more wear-resisting tread memher is obtained.

The shoe resulting from the invention is exceedingly durable and wear resisting and well adapted to the severe usage for which a heavy soled shoe is intended. Moreover, a shoe having a wooden sole constructed in accordance with the invention may be made more comfortable and lighter in weight than grain extending substantially continuously to opposite ends of the block and parallel to opposite sides of the block and molded to conform to the longitudinal curvature of the bottom of a shoe, including the spring required for the sole to accommodate a heel for the shoe and for the toe portion of the outsole.

2. That improvement in methods of making wooden outsoles for shoes which consists in selecting a substantially flat soleshaped blank of wood having its annual rings extending substantially continuously to opposite ends, subjecting the blank to the action of moist heat to render it m'oldable into predetermined shape, subjecting the blank to a molding pressure adapted to impart the longitudinal and transverse curva tures to the blank corresponding to those.

of the bottom of a shoe including the spring required for the sole to accommodate a heel for the shoe and clearance for the sole at its toe portion, allowing. the blank to dry out and permanently assume the shape imparted to it while under molding pressure, and thereafter removing the sole from the molding pressure.

In testimony whereof Ivhave signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE E. WARREN. 

